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H 8117Police & Prisons

State Affairs and Government - Corrections Department

This bill requires prisons and jails to provide free phone calls and in-person visits to inmates and their families.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the laws governing the Department of Corrections regarding prisoner communications. It mandates that voice communication services be provided free of charge to individuals confined in state prisons, local jails, and youth detention centers, as well as to the recipients of those calls. The bill establishes a minimum ratio of one phone for every ten inmates or two phones per housing unit. It prohibits the state or correctional agencies from generating revenue from communication services. Furthermore, the bill requires facilities to provide inmates with in-person contact visits.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for people who are in jail or prison. Currently, it costs money for them to make phone calls to their families. This new law says that phone calls must be free for the person in jail and the person they are calling. It also says that jails must have enough phones so that everyone can use them. Additionally, the bill says that people in jail must be allowed to have visitors come to see them in person. The government is not allowed to make money from these phone calls.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Incarcerated individualsFamilies of incarcerated individualsDepartment of CorrectionsTelephone service providersTaxpayers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Eliminates the predatory financial burden placed on low-income families who wish to maintain contact with incarcerated loved ones, promoting economic justice.
  • Strengthens community and family bonds by facilitating consistent communication, which is a key factor in reducing recidivism and aiding rehabilitation.
  • Ensures humane treatment of incarcerated individuals by mandating in-person contact visits, preventing the isolation that can occur in correctional facilities.
  • While it allows for video and email services to be free, it does not strictly mandate their availability, potentially leaving some facilities with only basic voice options.
  • The allocation of state funds to cover these costs might face political opposition that could threaten funding for other rehabilitation or diversion programs if budgets are tight.
  • Does not address other exorbitant costs associated with incarceration, such as commissary prices or medical copays, leaving other systemic economic issues unresolved.
For Conservatives
  • Prohibits the government from profiting off of contracts with vendors, aligning with the principle that government should not use hidden fees to generate revenue.
  • Supports the family unit by ensuring that fathers and mothers remain connected to their children and spouses, potentially preserving traditional family structures during incarceration.
  • Standardizes visitation and communication rules, providing clear statutory guidelines rather than leaving policies to the discretion of unelected administrators.
  • Transfers the cost of inmate phone calls directly to law-abiding taxpayers, rather than having the users of the service (the inmates and their families) pay for it.
  • May be viewed as making prison too comfortable or removing the punitive aspect of incarceration, potentially weakening the deterrent effect of prison sentences.
  • Mandating in-person contact visits could increase security risks for guards and facilities, potentially requiring increased spending on security personnel.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 27 additions · 13 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 42-56-38.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-56 entitled "Corrections Department" is hereby amended to read as follows: 42-56-38.1. Prisoner telephone use.

(a) When an inmate requests and receives a list of parties approved to receive telephone calls, the inmate shall be provided the option of using either a debit or collect call system to place such calls. Under the debit system, either the cost of such service shall be automatically deducted from the account maintained by the inmate for that purpose, or the inmate shall set aside money from his/her account to be placed in a prepaid telephone account.

(b) No telephone service provider shall charge a customer rate for calls made from a prison in excess of rates charged for comparable calls made in non-prison settings. All rates shall reflect the lowest reasonable cost to inmates and call recipients.

(c) No concessions agreements for inmate telephone calling services shall include provisions for a commission payable to the state, nor shall any correctional institution impose a surcharge for telephone usage by inmates in addition to the charges imposed by the telephone service provider.

SECTION 2. Chapter 42-56 of the General Laws entitled "Corrections Department" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 42-56-38.3. Prisoner telephone use -- Communication with people confined to correctional facilities.

(a) When an inmate requests and receives a list of parties approved to receive telephone calls, the department of corrections or any agency charged with the operation and management of state prisons, local jail cells maintained by any local or state law enforcement agency and youth residential placements or detention centers shall provide persons in their custody and confined in a correctional or detention facility, or held by any law enforcement agency pending an initial court appearance, with voice communication service. The department of corrections or other agency may supplement voice communication service with other communication services, including, but not limited to, video communication and electronic mail or messaging services. To the extent that such voice communication service or any other communication service is provided, which shall not be limited beyond program participation and routine facility procedures, each such service shall be provided free of charge to the person initiating and the person receiving the communication.

(b) The department of corrections, including all adult and juvenile facilities, in order to facilitate and accomplish the purposes of this section, shall maintain at a minimum the greater of:

(1) A ten (10) to one ratio of persons in custody to operable voice communication devices/telephones in each housing unit; or

(2) At least two (2) voice communication devices/telephones in each housing unit.

(c) Neither the department of corrections nor any agency charged with the operation and management of state prisons, or local jail cells maintained by any local or state law enforcement agency or youth residential placements or detention centers, shall receive revenue from the provision of voice communication services or any other communication services to any person confined in any correctional facility, local jail cell or youth residential placement or detention center.

(d) The department of corrections or any agency charged with the operation and management of state prisons or youth residential placements or detention centers shall provide persons in their custody and confined in their facilities with in-person contact visits.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.